Ask L.E.K. - Discover a Consulting Careerhttp://ask.lek.com/categories/discover-consulting-career
enWhy I Chose Consulting After a Ph.D.http://ask.lek.com/why-i-chose-management-consulting-after-phd
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<p>I joined L.E.K. two years ago as a Life Sciences Specialist (LSS) in the Los Angeles office, and since then have been promoted to Senior LSS. I am often asked, “Why did you go into consulting after acquiring a Ph.D.?” More brazen people will follow that question up with, “Did you just do it for the money?” I smile and begin to explain that for me and most Ph.D.s in consulting that I know, the pay is not first on the list of reasons for a Ph.D. to go into consulting.</p>
<p><strong>Reason #1: I have been fascinated by the business side of the life sciences industries throughout my adult life.</strong></p>
<p>In graduate school, I was fortunate enough to have an advisor who recognized this and offered me an opportunity to work in a part-time business development role at his company, which was founded based on technologies pioneered in his lab. It was perfect for me. Studying in my advisor’s lab at the university, I had deep technical knowledge of the company’s service offering and enough basic business acumen to assist in finding, negotiating, and managing outside collaborations with external life sciences tools and biopharmaceutical companies. I was happy initially, but eventually, I found that I wanted to contribute much more to the strategic direction of the company. I realized that I could not get the broader business training that I needed performing a small role at a small company. This brings me to reason #2.</p>
<p><strong>Reason #2: I wanted an accelerated path to a management position at a life sciences company.</strong></p>
<p>I needed to build business skills and real world experience that would broadly be recognized as valuable in the life sciences industries. However, I did not want to spend another two years in school and close to $100k earning an MBA. Consulting offers the opportunity to work alongside upper management at a variety of companies, solving their most challenging problems. Not surprisingly, a Ph.D. with a few years of consulting experience is generally recognized as equivalent to a Ph.D. with an MBA.</p>
<p><strong>Reason #3: I wanted to broaden my exposure to different disciplines within life sciences.</strong></p>
<p>Toward the end of my time as a grad student, I began pondering my career after graduating. I only knew that I wanted to continue to work in life sciences, and I wanted to work in this industry rather than academia or government. I asked myself several questions: Would I like to work in basic research or drug discovery? If in drug discovery, would I like to work generating lead compounds or in clinical trials testing leads in humans? In which therapeutic area would I like to work? Would I prefer to focus on developing novel experimental tools agnostic to a particular application or therapeutic area? Unable to focus my answers, I realized that I really wanted broad exposure to a variety of applications, therapeutic areas, and tools and techniques within the life sciences industries. I wanted to learn more about my options through first-hand experience. This was yet another reason to choose consulting as a next step. I thought that even if consulting was not to be my long-term career, my experiences in consulting would help me make an informed decision about different companies, projects, and career specialties that would fit my passions and aspirations. </p>
<p>Of course, the pay in consulting is better than it would be as a post-doc, but hopefully by sharing my perspective, I’ve convinced you that consulting offers a recent Ph.D. grad much more than a just comfortable salary.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:08:06 +0000administrator178 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/why-i-chose-management-consulting-after-phd#commentsThe Truth About Shaghai: My Swap Experiencehttp://ask.lek.com/blog/truth-about-shaghai-my-swap-experience
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter">
<a href="/sites/default/files/The%20truth%20about%20Shanghai.png" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/The%20truth%20about%20Shanghai-450x356.png" style="width: 450px; height: 356px;" width="450" height="356" /></a></p>
<p>I write this from the 34th floor of one of the tallest skyscrapers, on one of the busiest shopping streets (Nanjing Road), in the world’s largest city (Shanghai). The West gives China a list of superlatives so my last six months on swap here has been a test to see what life is really like behind all the hype – interspersed with casework of course... It turns out it is pretty good!</p>
<p>Shanghai’s office routine is quite different to London. Walking to work involves daily flutters with death: if you survive the scooters, delivery men, bicycles, buses, tractors, bamboo scaffolding all spilling over the pavements in downtown, then L.E.K. rewards you with a delicious breakfast spread of dumplings and wontons. Lunch breaks are sacred and the whole office empties to eat in peer groups. Food is central and excellent. </p>
<p>Shanghai is a buzzing city with plenty to do. From the elegant tree-lined streets of the French Concession to the colonial colonnades of the Bund, and the futuristic skyline in Pudong, there is masses to explore. I’ve tried to make the most of being in Asia by travelling: I explored the Great Barrier Reef in Australia over Chinese New Year, and headed to Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei on weekends. North Korea is next. The office annual Christmas retreat was to Osaka – sushi, sake and the chance to visit Universal Studios (who could miss it?!) It’s been the best six months of my time at L.E.K. so far!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 11 Apr 2017 12:37:04 +0000administrator331 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/blog/truth-about-shaghai-my-swap-experience#commentsIs an MBA beneficial for a Consultant returning to consulting? http://ask.lek.com/blog/mba-consultant-returning-consulting
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/BLOG%20Rob%20Wild.JPG" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/BLOG%20Rob%20Wild-400x300.JPG" style="width: 400px; height: 300px;" width="400" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>It is 18 months since I returned to consulting following my MBA at INSEAD. The question I am asked by many associates is “If I want to stay in consulting should I do an MBA?”</p>
<h4>
Becoming an L.E.K. Consultant</h4>
<p>At L.E.K. there are, generally speaking, two primary ways to become a “Consultant.” First, there are those who come via the MBA route. Usually they won’t have been a Consultant before but have valuable experience from previous employment and, on completing their MBA, choose to enter consulting. Secondly, there are those who are promoted within L.E.K. from Associate level, to Associate Consultant, to Senior Associate Consultant, then Consultant.</p>
<p>Both these routes are common at L.E.K. and represent 90% of the Consultants I currently know at the firm. So who are the other 10%? Simply people like me. I have completed some of the more junior roles at L.E.K., then I did the MBA. Did I really need the MBA? Couldn’t I just have been one of the “straight through?"</p>
<h4>
Why do the MBA?</h4>
<p>It is definitely true that you can be an effective Consultant without an MBA. In fact, many Partners and Senior Managers who I particularly respect do not hold an MBA and are amazing at their role. But the majority of our Partners and Senior Managers do hold an MBA which, in London, are normally from INSEAD or Harvard. </p>
<p>These are my top three reasons why I believe Consultants should complete an MBA: </p>
<p>1. It will provide you with new ideas to make you more effective in the Consultant role. I found the MBA formalised my business education; I often find myself using things I learned from the teaching staff as well as from my classmates;<br />
2. It allows you to build personal and professional relationships and expand your network. This is no cliché, it really is the case! I have already worked with several INSEADers inside and outside L.E.K. within only 18 months of returning to the office; and<br />
3. It makes you more open to unique opportunities. In the New Year I will move to our Tokyo office and, in reality, I think my MBA experience made this a more attractive option to me. Knowing I will have an MBA network as soon as I land in a new city, alongside great memories of having lived in France, Singapore and the USA as part of my MBA has made me more likely to seek out unique office swaps than I might otherwise have done.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 31 Jan 2017 16:10:30 +0000administrator327 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/blog/mba-consultant-returning-consulting#commentsL.E.K. Consulting Plans To Snap Up 50 MBAs In 2017http://ask.lek.com/blog/lek-consulting-plans-hire-mbas-2017
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/l-e-k-consulting-office.jpg" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/l-e-k-consulting-office-250x250.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 250px;" width="250" height="250" /></a></p>
<p>Recently, L.E.K.'s Chief Talent Officer, Lauren Reddy, sat down with Business Because to discuss how L.E.K. plans to actively recruit MBA's looking for strong problem-solving, teamwork, and management skills.</p>
<p>BusinessBecause launched in late-2009 as the first "niche network" connecting business students, employers, business school applicants and business schools around the world. They publish journalism about trends in the business school world, the issues facing MBA students and applicants, MBA careers, MBA entrepreneurs, humorous pieces about campus life and a popular weekly "Inside View" interview series with MBA employers.</p>
<p>Check out the <a href="http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-careers/4376/lek-consulting-to-hire-50-mbas-in-2017">article on BusinessBecause.com</a> to learn more or see what others have to say about <a href="http://www.lek.com/join-lek">working at L.E.K.</a></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/recruiting-experience" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">The Recruiting Experience</a></div></div></div>Tue, 17 Jan 2017 19:42:41 +0000administrator326 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/blog/lek-consulting-plans-hire-mbas-2017#commentsTransitioning from International Politics to L.E.K.http://ask.lek.com/blog/transitioning-international-politics-lek
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/TEngler%20LEK%20Advisor%20Picture.jpg" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/TEngler%20LEK%20Advisor%20Picture-300x260.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 260px;" width="300" height="260" /></a></p>
<p>When I started at L.E.K., I wondered if my degree in International Politics (IPOL) from Georgetown had prepared me sufficiently for the challenging work ahead, or whether I instead should have studied business. In retrospect, my worries were unfounded. The learning curve of the associate job is steep and pushes the intellectual limits of every new hire regardless of major. Similar to Hagrid’s description of new students entering Hogwarts, “everyone starts at the beginning” at L.E.K. Working hard and learning quickly are the keys to finding success as an A1 at L.E.K., regardless of major.</p>
<p>As I adjusted to working at L.E.K., I increasingly appreciated my International Politics degree for three ways that helped prepare me for the associate job.</p>
<p>First, learning about and following the global political system required intensive research across a wide range of issues to inform analysis and reach conclusions about America’s place in the world. The conduct, distillation and analysis of primary and secondary market research are the backbone of the associate role and a critical vector for associates to add value to the team attempting to understand a client’s place in a market and anticipate developments in the relevant market.</p>
<p>Second, synthesizing and writing a defense of a thesis in essays about the international sphere necessitated the development of specific recommendations and supporting arguments to determine the best course of action for a country at a vital strategic crossroads. Associates rely heavily on written advocacy skills to write slides, process interviews, and inform the team’s synthesis of a recommendation for our client’s best course of action at a critical phase of its lifecycle.</p>
<p>Third, seminar classes and group work provided an excellent base for teaching IPOL students how to work with a team to complete a project by a deadline. That same method of Socratic discussion is the basis of cooperating with team members in case team meetings to gain insights from research and generate conclusions to inform the decisions our clients.</p>
<p>After a year at L.E.K., I realized that my IPOL studies provided an important foundation for my ability to be successful at L.E.K. Moreover, while most of my assignments involved subject areas about which I knew little, some involved subjects with which I became familiar in college. Overall, my IPOL courses provided an excellent basis for succeeding as an associate.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 03 Jan 2017 14:24:41 +0000administrator325 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/blog/transitioning-international-politics-lek#commentsLeveraging your Team to Deliver Your Best Workhttp://ask.lek.com/leveraging-your-team-deliver-your-best-work
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/Capture.JPG" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/Capture-220x289.JPG" style="width: 220px; height: 289px;" width="220" height="289" /></a></p>
<p>Now that it’s been about year since I’ve started at L.E.K., the question that I get asked the most is “Was it what you expected?”</p>
<p>I typically respond with something generic and appropriate, while on the inside laughing (somewhat hysterically) as the truth is – this isn’t really a job that lends itself well to set expectations.</p>
<p>Frankly, the truth is that the past year has been one of the most challenging professional experiences of my career thus far. When you join L.E.K. as a Consultant, you are given tools, a support network and a safety belt to help you navigate the work, but you are also thrust into leadership roles and expected to be a contributing member of the team from the beginning.</p>
<p>It can be quite overwhelming. Tight timelines, demanding clients, and unfamiliar and nuanced subject areas act in concert with one another, facilitating a high-pressure and fast-paced environment where at times it can feel as though the success or failure of the strategy rests on your shoulders.</p>
<p>However, while the pressure and the stress are real, the belief that the entire case rests on your shoulders is not. In fact, the strongest lesson I have learned in my tenure at L.E.K. is how to leverage the team to most effectively deliver the work.</p>
<p>The following are some of my (hard-earned) lessons I have learned thus far:</p>
<p><strong>Leveraging the team</strong></p>
<p>When you start as a post-MBA consultant, it feels as though what is expected of you has grown exponentially since your pre-MBA days. All of a sudden you are seen as a thought-leader, as well as an executor – needing to not only direct the strategy and the overall vision of the case, but lead the team towards completing the work. While it might take a bit of time to get comfortable working with new teams and leading associates, leveraging their knowledge and skill-set, as well as mentoring them towards developing new abilities, will not only save the team valuable time, but will allow you to focus on other things, which in part will allow the overall case work to be much stronger than it otherwise might have been.</p>
<p><strong>Asking for help</strong></p>
<p>One of the hardest lessons I have learned is how to ask for help. I used to believe that I needed to be extremely self-sufficient, only asking for advice and guidance when there was no other choice. What that fostered was an extremely stressful environment, created completely by my own accord. Instead, had I allowed myself to ask questions and seek clarification, I would’ve avoided a lot of anxiety and saved valuable time.</p>
<p><strong>Allowing mistakes to happen</strong></p>
<p>One of the best pieces of advice I have received so far is also potentially the most obvious – it is OK to make mistakes. While it might seem as though our work is a matter of life or death, the fact of the matter is – it’s not. Very few mistakes will require anything more than a quick conversation to fix the issue.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 13 Dec 2016 14:58:55 +0000administrator312 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/leveraging-your-team-deliver-your-best-work#commentsA Letter to Future L.E.K. Internshttp://ask.lek.com/letter-future-lek-interns
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/Thomas%20Barber.jpg" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/Thomas%20Barber-300x199.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 199px;" width="300" height="199" /></a></p>
<p>To the Future L.E.K. Interns,</p>
<p>Like many of you preparing for a career in consulting, I spent several months speaking with friends in the field, getting ready for interviews, and trying to understand what exactly consulting entailed. Because of this arduous process of preparation, I found many aspects of my internship experience as expected; however, as with anything you try for the first time, there were many things about my experience that surprised me, no matter how much I prepared for it.</p>
<ol><li>
The sheer exposure to different industries, job functions, and project types through diverse and short-length cases (I saw 3 different projects touching 6 industries across 8 weeks).</li>
<li>
The exposure to many team environments and management styles since every case has a different team and different management.</li>
<li>
The scrappy mentality and surprisingly cohesive teaming mindset as teams are thrown together quickly and projects are “all hands on deck.”</li>
<li>
The collegiate and collaborative atmosphere as everyone on the team is always looking to learn from each other and your superiors may not necessarily have more background in a given industry than you.</li>
<li>
The genuine mentorship between co-workers as there is always someone looking out for you professionally, intellectually, and socially.</li>
<li>
The ease of getting along with everyone in the office since every consultant is a people-person and is just looking to have a good time with everyone else.</li>
<li>
The speed of integration into the office culture as I already felt a part of a close-knit friend circle by the end of my short eight-week stay.</li>
</ol><p>Even though I’ve now shared seven different inside scoops, the experience to come is not something that can be spelled out for you, but rather must be experienced individually. Granted everyone’s experience will be different, each will come with an individual set of key takeaways. Bottom line, if you are someone that likes to be challenged, likes working with people in dynamic environments, and likes to solve real problems that matter, you are in it for a great time here at L.E.K.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Thomas B.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 15:15:37 +0000administrator315 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/letter-future-lek-interns#commentsReflecting Upon my Summer Internship at L.E.K.http://ask.lek.com/reflecting-upon-my-summer-internship-lek
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/Beijing%20Zhu.jpg" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/Beijing%20Zhu-220x235.jpg" style="width: 220px; height: 235px;" width="220" height="235" /></a></p>
<p>As I sit at my desk reflecting on my internship, I still can’t believe how fast the summer flew by and how fantastic my internship experience was. Although I did quite a lot of research during recruiting season and had a good idea of what the job would be like, L.E.K. managed to exceed many of my expectations and I now feel like I have learned so much more about life at L.E.K., and consulting in general. Having chosen consulting for the learning and development opportunities it afforded, I was pleasantly surprised by how well L.E.K. delivered on that promise.</p>
<p>It was clear from the onset that L.E.K. was dedicated to our development. The summer kicked off with a week of training at Cape Cod, the well-structured program gave a thorough overview of the consultant role and the resources available to us. The evenings were filled with fun/competitive social activities, culminating in a lobster bake and bonfire on our last night. Our group left energized and prepared for the weeks ahead. </p>
<p>Once in the New York office, I was constantly amazed at how incredibly smart and supportive the people were, and how much everyone was willing to take time out of their extremely busy schedules to coach newcomers. Getting up to speed on a new company or industry every few weeks can be challenging, especially coming in with no previous consulting experience, but with the support and guidance of my case team (and those who just happened to be in nearby cubicles) I was able to hit the ground running and contribute from day one. My advice for future interns? First, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Second, spend some time observing the tenured members of your case team, learn best practices and adapt to suit your own style or personality.</p>
<p>I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my summer. L.E.K. has helped me grow personally and professionally in just a few months, and I’m excited to experience what a full-time career has to offer!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:36:50 +0000administrator313 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/reflecting-upon-my-summer-internship-lek#commentsOur experience Down Under http://ask.lek.com/blog/our-experience-down-under
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="rtecenter"><a href="/sites/default/files/Advisor%20-%20Will%20Chamberlain.JPG" class="colorbox"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/Advisor%20-%20Will%20Chamberlain-350x263.JPG" style="width: 350px; height: 263px;" width="350" height="263" /></a></p>
<p>Our Melbourne swap was incredible as we worked on a great range of projects in a fantastic new city. From a pricing strategy for a clothing retailer, to a strategy re-think for a Tier2 bank, the Melbourne office infused our minds with knowledge in a number of industries. Will even further developed his understanding of cow bile collection – knowledge which will surely come in handy throughout his career. As others have found, there are many small differences between offices but the similarities are overwhelming. It’s pretty cool to turn up at an office on the other side of the world and get straight to work on a case.<br />
<br />
Needless to say many fond memories of Melbourne will stay with us. Just as in London, it is the people who make L.E.K. a great place to work. In Melbourne, the local L.E.K’ers were very friendly in the office as well as at weekends with frequent brunches, watching footie together and even a couple of quick ski trips. There was an incredible offsite trip to Hayman Island in the Whitsundays for both Australian offices, which was sort of like the London Office summer party but included snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>We highly recommend and greatly encourage Melbourne as a swap destination! Thanks to all who made it possible and to the Partner group for their support of the programme.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 15 Nov 2016 15:58:18 +0000administrator323 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/blog/our-experience-down-under#commentsWhat Does a Career in Consulting Look Like?http://ask.lek.com/what-does-career-consulting-look-like
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<p>My summer consultant internship experience at the L.E.K. Chicago office flew by this past summer. I had never worked in consulting before and the program was a great crash course in how L.E.K. specifically and consulting generally worked. The program kicked off in Cape Cod where the firm hosted the summer interns (both consultants and associates). The week of training allowed all of us to get to know interns from all of the offices and introduced us to key skills that would help us be successful over the course of our internships. It was a fun experience that set the tone for the summer and prepared everyone for what would come later.</p>
<p>Our first day in our home office included a welcome breakfast to meet some of our colleagues, after which we were given our first case assignments. Mine was a growth strategy case working with an enterprise software company, while my fellow interns had cases ranging from PE due diligence in MedTech to Strategy Activation. The case lengths tend to be short at L.E.K., so I was able to see my first case through from start to finish and still had time to assist with another growth strategy case in the Industrials sector. While I worked primarily with colleagues in the Chicago office, I also had team members from the San Francisco office.</p>
<p>L.E.K. provided a great support system, where they assigned me a buddy (a full-time consultant) and a Career Development Coach (a managing director). I was able to discuss my experience and get any help I needed along the way from them. Throughout my internship I felt like I could always reach out to someone if I had trouble or questions about anything. There were also several lunch-and-learns during the internship presented by partners about some of the practices and specialties. The talks were woven throughout the summer which is possible because consultants at L.E.K. spend more time in their home offices and travel less often than is typical in the consulting industry.</p>
<p>One of the things that the consultant role at L.E.K. is known for, and one of the many things that attracted me to L.E.K., is the opportunity to lead and manage a team early on. As a fulltime consultant, you are typically responsible for at least one work stream, working with and managing associates to create the ultimate deliverables for the client. In the summer intern position, you are given the opportunity to ease into this leadership role, shadowing an existing consultant and given work streams to own. During the internship, I was encouraged to lead, but had the support of a great team to guide me along the way.</p>
<p>The Chicago office is fairly social, especially in the summer when the weather is nice. The interns tried to get together on their own most weekends after work for cocktails, the symphony, or rollercoasters. The company also organized a number of ways to interact outside of the office, including small group dinners hosted by partners, a Cubs game outing, a Second City comedy show and an end of summer celebration dinner for the interns. Most of the company-scheduled outings corresponded with a night known as ‘Out by 6’. For the ‘Out by 6’ policy, a manager or consultant on each case works with the team to figure out a night of the week that the team aims to leave the office by 6 pm. In my experience, this was adhered to closely. This policy definitely helps L.E.K. consultants have a little more work-life balance than consultants have by reputation.</p>
<p>Interns are given a lot of responsibility, but L.E.K. does a good job of preparing people for what they will face. I enjoyed how much trust they put in their interns, but also how well L.E.K. equipped me for my role. Overall, I walked away with an internship that both challenged me and helped me clarify what a consulting position with L.E.K. would look like long-term.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/categories/discover-consulting-career" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Discover a Consulting Career</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/categories/inside-lek" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Inside L.E.K.</a></div></div></div>Tue, 08 Nov 2016 15:23:04 +0000administrator317 at http://ask.lek.comhttp://ask.lek.com/what-does-career-consulting-look-like#comments